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I will only be guessing now but -- is the "latest" driver the same you used before? If not, try using the older driver if you can still find it. Or try to see if there are known issues when using this configuration.

1. Is it the case that when you use the Kontakt standalone player (no minihost) you can play through the presonus with no problems? If so then I guess minihost is the culprit. I'm going to assume not for the rest of this post.

2. Is it complete static, or is it a note with static and pops and clicks?

If it is a note but with a ton of pops and clicks, it could be that your audio buffer is set to low or your interface is not running in ASIO mode or something.

If it's pure static, it sounds like your presonus software and/or hardware is not working. Most likely a configuration issue but it's not easy to diagnose from here.

First increase the audio buffer until you stop getting static but no higher. Then look at how much latency is applied under that setting and let us know what it is.

Also, 128 can mean something very different if you are operating in 16/44 mode vs 24/96. For that reason you should report your latency in milliseconds. Either way it seems like quite a small audio buffer.

If the lowest buffer that doesn't result in static is more than 10-12 milliseconds or so then your system is not functioning properly. Otherwise you just had your buffer set too small.

I had similar issues with my Scarlette setup that gives lots intermittent clicks and turn out the problem is in power setting for the cpu. Make sure your power setting is on high performance. and you need to disable the onboard soundcard via the control panel. If its driver conflict, you can use this to check for latency source and conflict. http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

When I run Vintage D (or any of the Kontakt-based pianos) under a VST host, I have to first load the Kontakt VST plugin. In my installation, Kontakt has THREE .dll files in the vstplugins folder. IIRC, they're called Kontakt.dll, Kontakt8.dll, and Kontak16.dll (or something similar). Not knowing which to use, I just chose Kontakt.dll. Which one do you load?

Also, when I moved to Windows 7/64-bit, Kontakt put .dll files in TWO places: C:\Program Files\vstplugins (for the 64-bit) dlls, and C:\Program Files (x86)\vstplugins (for the 32-bit plugins). Which ones are you using? IIRC, I'm using the ones in Program Files (x86).

After loading Kontakt into the VST host, I use the Kontakt window (inside the VST host) to load the piano(s), just like in Kontakt's standalone mode. Is that what you're doing?

Also, what are your objectives? I ask that because: If Kontakt works for you in standalone mode, why even bother with a VST host?

Also, I cannot answer your questions about recording. I don't record anything. Whether Kontakt or MiniHost or Studio One has the ability to record, I simply don't know. Sorry.

If I remember correctly, Mta88 wants to have a selection of pianos available, some of which run under Kontakt, but some of which don't. A nice VST host would load Kontakt and thus Vintage D, and also load VST pianos that don't use the Kontakt engine. And a VST host would do recording as an alternative to, say, Audacity.

What happened with Ableton Live, Mta88? I was considering that when I had problems with my usual live performance host. (Other than that though, I don't know much about Ableton.) And did you try the trial version of OpenLab's MOS I mentioned in the other thread?

All this stuff is infuriating I know, when all you really want to do is get on with the music, which is why I ditched my homebrew PC and went with a purpose-built system (which still drives me mad, but I do make more progress and more music).